My name is Mya-Rose Craig and I blog as Birdgirl. I am 18 years and am passionate about birds and nature. I would describe myself as a conservationist and environmentalist. I have been birding forever, got my BTO ringing licence when I turned 16 and at 17 became the youngest person to see half the birds of the world.

I feel strongly about saving nature, campaigning to stop biodiversity loss and climate breakdown. I am really excited about working with other young people who care about this as well and working together to make change in a creative way and being able to express ourselves, use our creativity and brains and have flexibility within the project according to what we want to do with it.

In February 2020, I became the youngest person to be awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science for my five years campaigning with my organisation Black2Nature, leading the fight for equal access to the natural environment for Visible Minority Ethnic people, organising teenage and children’s nature camps and high profile conferences, Race Equality Nature and campaigning to make the sector ethnically diverse.

I was a Bristol European Green Capital 2015 Ambassador and in 2014 was listed with George Ezra as one of Bristol’s most influential young people. I have set up an Extinction Rebellion group, involved with Youth Strikes speaking with Greta Thunberg, am involved with Youth for our Planet working to stop species loss and have attended lots of meetings at Downing Street and Parliament.

I have written articles including The Times, Guardian, Observer, New Statesman and Resurgence & Ecologist; given 50 talks including a panel with George Monbiot and Caroline Lucas MP and Hay Festival main stage; was a Minister in Chris Packham’s People’s Manifesto for Wildlife and spoke at his People’s Walk for Wildlife. She have appeared on TV and presented a German-French documentary about the decline of grassland and farmland bird species.